2011 British Open: Darren Clarke Earns First Major By Conquering Royal St. George’s

Darren Clarke’s victory in the 2011 British Open is one of the feel-good moments of the year in golf. Clarke’s one of the best-loved players on either the PGA Tour or European Tour, and his first major championship provided both a very lucrative payday for him — $1.4 million in prize money — and a great excuse to eschew sleep for the company of fellow revelers at the bar.

Clarke’s win also continued two strange trends in golf’s majors. His victory stretched a string of majors won by different players to 12 in a row — Padraig Harrington won back-to-back majors in 2008 — and added a third trophy in the last 13 months to the ethereal Northern Ireland trophy case, joining the ones for U.S. Opens won in 2010 by Graeme McDowell and 2011 by Rory McIlroy.

Darren Clarke won the British Open on Sunday, but really, that was just prelude to Sunday night. And then Monday morning. “I have not been to bed yet,” Clarke told reporters this morning. “I probably won’t get any sleep until tomorrow at some stage. You have to enjoy it while you can. It’s been a very good night.”

See, this is why it’s fun when the Irish win.

The 2011 British Open increased the first-place purse with an additional £50,000 this year, or over $80,000, to £900,000. Either way you look at it, Darren Clarke came away with a nice prize of $1,451,830 (using July 17 conversion rates) out of a $7.3 million purse (complete winnings here). This now pushes him over the $24 million career earnings since becoming a pro in 1990.

Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson each came away with nearly $690,000 for their second-place finishes. The rest of the top 15 players received over $100,000 dollars, while the 71st player made the least at $18,712.

While Darren Clarke withstood weather to win the 2011 British Open, Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson had their chances — and promptly threw them away with erratic back nine play.

Mickelson played himself into contention with a scintillating front nine. Lefty had three birdies and an eagle in his first seven holes, and tied Clarke for the lead at one juncture. He also had birdie putts on the eighth and ninth holes; had either fallen, Mickelson would have established a new career best for a front nine in a major.

After a career full of near-misses, a period of recession, and personal heartbreak, Darren Clarke has won the 2011 British Open. And Northern Ireland’s beloved veteran could scarcely have done it more fittingly.

Clarke finished at 5-under for the tournament after a even-par final round 70, and pulled away from the field at Royal St. George’s this week by playing more consistent golf than any other player. Clarke was the only player to play four rounds at par or better this week, but never went lower than 2-under for a day, stringing together a 68-68-69-70 week that left him three strokes clear of second place finishers Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson.

The 2011 British Open is coming to a close as most of the major players are making their way to the back side in Sandwich, England. While the Open Championship didn’t look like it’d be won by a big-name golfer after following the first three rounds, Phil Mickelson’s impressive front nine on Sunday nearly put him atop the leaderboard.

Mickelson went into Day 4 on par and tied for seventh place, but “Lefty” was able to drop his score by five strokes after his first nine holes on Sunday at Royal St. Goerge’s. At five-under, Mickelson moved into second place behind Darren Clarke, inching ever closer to earning his first British Open victory.

Phil Mickelson has never won an Open Championship. The golfer also known as “Lefty” is looking to change that after an impressive start during his fourth round at the 2011 British Open.

Mickelson began the final round in a tie for seventh place after staying on par through the first three rounds at Royal St. George’s golf course, but has moved into a tie for second place through six holes on Sunday morning.

The final round of the 2011 British Open gets underway on Sunday as the field tees-off at Royal St. George in Sandwich, England. Because the third major of the year is across the pond, the time difference makes for an early start on Sunday morning, with the broadcast set to begin in the wee hours of the morning on the West Coast. But while coverage begins early, the final group of the day, Darren Clarke and Dustin Johnson, tee-off some three hours later as they battle for The Open Championship.

ESPN has the broadcast rights again on Sunday and will be with the British Open until it concludes in the early afternoon on the East Coast. The broadcast begins at 6 a.m. EDT and is set to run until 1:30 p.m., or whenever the final group finishes its round.

The 2011 British Open at Royal St. George’s will conclude on Sunday with final round action that could give Darren Clarke the first major of his long career. But young Americans Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler loom just behind Clarke, and talented players like Phil Mickelson and Martin Kaymer aren’t much further off the pace.

On Sunday, Clarke (5-under) and Johnson (4-under) will be the last to tee off, going off at 9:10 a.m. Eastern, 2:10 p.m. local time in Sandwich, England. Here are some other notable tee times for the day.

Through three rounds of the 2011 British Open, nothing has gone according to plan. Before the third major of the year began, all the talk centered on Rory McIlroy, the young phenom who clobbered the field at the US Open just a few weeks ago, and Lee Westwood, the Englishman who’s come close, but never broken through in a major. With just 18 holes to play at Royal St. George, Westwood is already back at home after missing the cut, and McIlroy is nine shots off the pace.

If nothing else, we should know by now how unpredictable major championships can be. Mix in whether that can go from nearly unplayable to sunny and calm in a matter of minutes, and you’ve got a British Open ripe for a surprise winner.

The 2011 British Open may finally be Darren Clarke’s major championship breakthrough. If nothing else, he will enter his final round at Royal St. George’s on Sunday with the 54-hole Open Championship lead.

Clarke finished his 1-under 69 in Saturday’s third round with his 13th par of the day and sixth in a row, cementing his positioning at 5-under for the tournament, one stroke ahead of Dustin Johnson. Clarke was steady throughout Saturday, but especially late: after two birdies and two bogeys in his first eight holes, Clarke made nine pars and one birdie over his final 10 holes.

The skies have cleared at the 2011 British Open, and the leaders who teed off late in Saturday’s third round are reaping the rewards. None is doing so better than Dustin Johnson.

Johnson, who began the day at 2-under, is now 3-under for his round and tied for the lead at 5-under with Darren Clarke. Johnson’s had an up-and-down third round, with six birdies and three bogeys through 16 holes, but if he can play his final two in even par, he will have the lowest third round of the 2011 British Open yet, and might well have a share of the lead or better heading into Sunday’s final round.

Rickie Fowler entered the 2011 British Open without a single PGA Tour win, but his strong play on Saturday has some wondering if he might be able to repeat a bit of history at Royal St. George’s.

Fowler made good use of calmer weather in the final several holes of his third round on Saturday to finish on a high note, making three birdies in his last six holes to polish off a 2-under 68 that bested every other player in the field by three strokes. Fowler also moved to 2-under for the tournament, putting him well within striking distance of leader Darren Clarke.

The 2011 British Open may well be won with play close to even par on what looks to be a blustery weekend in Sandwich, England, at a Royal St. George’s course that isn’t conceding much to the field. If so, Darren Clarke may well win this Open Championship.

Clarke entered the third round tied for the lead with 2009 U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover, but immediately broke that tie with a birdie on the first hole to move him to 5-under for the tournament. On many courses, that wouldn’t be news, but at Royal St. George’s on this Saturday, it was the only birdie made on No. 1, a 444-yard par 4.

The weather at the 2011 British Open has taken a turn for the grim and gloomy for Saturday’s third round: rain and high winds have players bundled up and scrambling for pars. Considering that, Tom Watson’s third round was nothing short of phenomenal.

The 61-year-old five-time British Open champion turned in another legendary performance at Royal St. George’s on Saturday, firing a 2-over 72 (two birdies, four bogeys) that tied Trevor Immelman’s 72 for the best score among players who have completed third rounds. The score moved him to 4-over for the Open Championship, but barring collapses by dozens of players, Watson won’t win a sixth British Open this week.

The 2011 British Open at Royal St. George’s continues on Saturday with Darren Clarke and Lucas Glover tied for the lead at 4-under. Clarke fired off a 2-under in Round 2 to take a share of the lead, while Glover was even-par with two birdies and two bogeys to remain at 4-under. But the highlight of the day was Tom Watson sinking a hole-in-one on the sixth hole.

On Saturday, Clarke and Glover will be the last to tee off. Here are some notable tee times for the day (full list available here):

British Open watchers can sleep in -- kind of -- on Saturday. ESPN opens its coverage of the event at the less daunting hour of 7 a.m. ET, three hours later than what has become the usual time for kicking off these affairs. ESPN wraps up its coverage at 2:30 p.m. ET.

ABC’s “The Open Championship Today” is scheduled to run from 2 p.m. ET to 6 p.m. ET. ESPN will also broadcast a highlights package starting at 7 p.m. ET and running for three hours. If you’re determined to get up before reasonable people do so, ESPN3.com will continue to cover the proceedings beginning at 4 a.m. ET.

Darren Clarke followed up a first-round 68 with another round of 68 to surge into a tie for the lead at the end of the British Open’s second day. The product of Northern Ireland shares the lead with American Lucas Glover at 136.

First-round co-leaders Thomas Bjorn and amateur Tom Lewis slid back a ways. Bjorn shot a 2-over 72 and is now in a tie for third, while Lewis shot a 74 and is now tied for 14th.

A number of early favorites - Martin Kaymer, Dustin Johnson, Charl Schwartzel, Adam Scott, Phil Mickelson – have performed well at the 2011 British Open so far. But others have struggled and are in danger of missing the cut after the second round.

With most players having finishing their second rounds or having already completed them, Lee Westwood is among those currently in danger of missing the cut, at -4. Along with Rory McIlroy, Westwood appeared to be one of the top contenders to win the tournament as it began, so a cut would be a serious disappointment.

With many players now finished with their second round at the 2011 British Open, here’s a look at the leaderboard. Thomas Bjorn and the youngster Tom Lewis, who led the Open Championship following Thursday’s play, both fell back into the pack. Bjorn posted a +2 today and his now tied for third, and Lewis posted a +4 and is now tied for No. 15. Bjorn was even on the first 11 holes, but bogeyed the 12th and 14th.

T1. Darren Clarke -4 (-2 today)

T1. Lucas Glover -4 (E today)

T3. Chad Campbell -3 (-2 today)

T3. Martin Kaymer -3 (-1 today)

T3. Thomas Bjorn -3 (+2 today)

The 2011 British Open is shaping up to have a rather eventful second round thus far in Sandwich, England, as there is now a four-way tie for first place on the British Open leaderboard.

Early Friday morning Lucas Glover and Darren Clarke finished their second rounds at four-under, but they now have a bit of competition as Day 1 leader Thomas Bjorn and England’s Simon Dyson are also four strokes below par as they near completion of the front nine.

The British Open’s second round is underway, and while the bigger names have yet to begin their day, a couple of new golfers have moved atop the leaderboard by posting solid outings on Day 2.

Lucas Glover, an American playing in his fourth Open Championship, finished even-par on Friday to put him in a tie with Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke. Clarke finished with a 68, same as yesterday, while Glover posted an even 70 to give each a two-day score of 136.

“Slam dunk!” More like a bounce pass, in my honest opinion. Golf legend Tom Watson sunk a hole-in-one at the 2011 British Open at Royal St. George’s, putting a one-hopper in the can from 169 yards out. Here’s a look at the shot that briefly pulled attention from Watson’s suddenly famous playing partner Tom Lewis, the amateur who shared the tournament lead after the first round. Via Dogs That Chase Cars.

The celebration is pretty Tom Watson, if my fuzzy childhood memories remain pure. Arms open in a combination of a boasting “I’m Tom Watson!” and the modest “What a lucky guy am I?” The eagle helped Watson stay above the projected cut line; after 12 holes, the five-time Open champion was five shots behind the leaders.

Tom Watson nailed a hole-in-one on the par-3 sixth hole in Friday’s second round at the 2011 British Open at Royal St. George’s. Watson, 61, is a five-time British Open winner and has eight majors to his name. He finished second in 2009 at Turnberry, just missing a chance to become the oldest golfer to win a major by no small margin.

The Telegraph reports that Watson is not the oldest player to hole a tee shot at the British; Gene Sarzen hit a hole-in-one at age 71 at Troon in 1973.

ESPN’s live coverage of the 2011 British Open continues Friday starting at 4 a.m. and continuing until 3 p.m. on the main channel and ESPN3.com. Directly after 3, they will show replays of the day’s events and highlights.

Highlights of the early morning play before the broadcast include Anthony Kim teeing off at 2:25, Y.E. Yang at 2:58, Padraig Harrington at 3:20, Bubba Watson and Jason Day at 3:42 and Jim Furyk at 3:58.